SUCCESS STORY
Beber Camp
Formalizing fundraising to build a sustainable future
Who They Are
Established in 1976, Beber Camp provides a fun, nurturing space for children to spend their summers, develop leadership skills and build positive Jewish identities. The Wisconsin-based residential summer camp serves children from 7 to 17 years old, and its professional leadership excels in creating a safe, positive and inclusive environment that fosters meaningful growth. While Beber Camp has built an exceptional community over the years, the organization recognized the need for a formal fundraising program that could sustain and broaden its impact into the future.
The Impact
Since working with Giving Tree to create a formal fundraising program, Beber Camp’s annual donations have skyrocketed from $25,000 to nearly $500,000 today. The organization now also has much larger base of support, preparing Beber Camp for long-term stability and growth. In addition, Giving Tree’s guidance on Beber’s capital campaign has helped the camp recognize the need to cultivate a new generation of major donors. As it enters the quiet phase of its campaign, Beber Camp continues to leverage Giving Tree’s recommendations and tools to achieve its goal of delivering life-changing summers to Jewish children from across the country.
How We Work Together
Since partnering with Beber Camp in 2010, Giving Tree’s trusted guidance has enabled the camp to increase fundraising dramatically and plan for long-term growth. After first conducting an organizational assessment, Giving Tree recommended a robust annual giving and alumni relations plan focused on the camp’s key constituents: campers, parents and alumni. As part of this plan, Giving Tree identified two lay leaders to help implement targeted engagement and giving strategies for each group. Giving Tree also helped Beber Camp establish recognition opportunities for major donors, a direct mail campaign for all individual constituents and other fundraising best practices.
Once its annual fundraising efforts were up and running, Beber Camp asked Giving Tree for help launching its first-ever capital campaign to fund major camp renovations. Giving Tree conducted a feasibility study, creating a compelling statement of intent and speaking with dozens of past donors to determine their capacity to give. Based on the study results, Giving Tree ultimately recommended that Beber spend one to two years cultivating and stewarding its most loyal annual donors and building out its base of support. By engaging these current and prospective donors, Beber would be better prepared to meet its ambitious fundraising goals once it launched the campaign.
Key Project Elements
- Increased Beber Camp’s annual fundraising from $25,000 to $200,000 in the first year and to nearly $500,000 today
- Identified and developed targeted engagement and giving strategies for Beber Camp’s three core constituencies
- Developed Beber’s first formal fundraising committee
- Created a major donor society to recognize the camp’s most loyal and generous donors
- Built a comprehensive direct mail program
- Conducted a capital campaign feasibility study and provided recommendations to maximize the chances of success
Services Provided
- Organizational assessment
- Annual campaign planning
- Committee development
- Capital campaign feasibility study
“Just wanted to say thank you again for the last three years! The entire Giving Tree team is amazing and has been instrumental in helping Beber Camp establish the right organizational and fundraising processes to strengthen our future. I've learned a ton, and Beber has really grown so much as a result of your help and expertise. We’ve helped a lot of families!”
Michael Wax, Director of Programming, B'nai B'rith Beber Camp.
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